How the peaceful world of puzzles has been upended by the global trade war

Philip Drost · CBC Radio

· Posted: May 25, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 8 hours ago

Puzzle radical are utilized to putting pieces successful their place. But the chaos of the Canada-U.S. commercialized warfare is flipping the manufacture over, leaving concern owners to prime up the pieces. 

"It's the uncertainty. It's astir intolerable to navigate," Bruce Donnelly told Day 6. 

Donnelly is the proprietor of Puzzles Canada, based successful Georgetown, Ont. It's 1 of the largest puzzle retailers successful Canada, stocking 92 jigsaw brands and thousands of antithetic puzzles. It ships thousands of them each week. 

But the existent commercialized warfare has taken a sizable portion retired of those orders. And with continued uncertainty astir tariffs, galore puzzle retailers connected some sides of the borderline are disquieted astir the aboriginal of their businesses. 

The Toy Association, a lobby radical for the U.S. artifact industry, surveyed 400 of its subordinate companies successful April. It recovered that astir fractional of its tiny oregon medium-sized businesses were disquieted they whitethorn spell retired of concern due to the fact that of their government's tariffs. 

Facing tariffs

In March, Canada announced its retaliatory tariffs against Donald Trump and the U.S., which included a 25 per cent tariff connected jigsaw puzzles made successful the U.S. And Donnelly didn't person a accidental to react.

"We had shipments that were en route. We didn't person a choice. We had to wage the tariff," helium said.

Not wanting to enactment the outgo connected his customers, Puzzles Canada paid the difference.

Even though Americans marque up lone 20 per cent of Puzzles Canada's lawsuit base, Donnelly says he's feeling the impact. Half of the brands Donnelly sells are made successful China, making them costly to nonstop to U.S. customers.

Initially, the U.S. enactment a 145 per cent tariff connected goods shipped from China. That has since been reduced to 30 per cent. 

"We're decidedly [taking] a hit," said Donnelly.

The institution has had to marque adjustments. He's since had to halt shipments of made-in-China puzzles to the U.S., due to the fact that those other fees were conscionable excessively high. He's besides had to summation the terms for each customers of games from White Mountain Puzzles, Springbok Puzzles, and New York Puzzle Co., which are each U.S.-made, though helium didn't springiness an nonstop figure.

Donnelly is bringing successful much puzzles from Europe, and helium tin proceed to merchantability to customers successful Canada. Even so, Donnelly says his U.S. income could beryllium chopped successful half. 

And it's not conscionable companies successful Canada that are struggling.

Mia Galison, proprietor of the eeBoo Corporation, is based successful New York and sells jigsaw puzzles and children's toys. But galore of her products are manufactured successful China.

"It's devastating. We are a precise tiny company. We don't enactment connected immense margins," said Galison. 

"We're hoping that immoderate crushed prevails with these tariffs oregon that we get immoderate benignant of carve-out for tiny businesses oregon carve-outs for the artifact industry."

To marque ends meet, Galison has besides accrued the prices of her puzzles. Even with the increase, she's trying to support them nether $25 US each, but says it's not capable to marque up for the outgo of tariffs. 

Puzzles, bowling balls and toilet seats

It's not conscionable puzzles that person been caught successful the crossfire of the commercialized war. Other seemingly unusual U.S.-made products, specified arsenic toilet seats and bowling balls, person been slapped with retaliatory tariffs by the Canadian government. But why?

The Canadian authorities hasn't provided an nonstop mentation for each merchandise connected that list, but planetary lawyer Lawrence Herman says those measures were enactment successful spot to inflict maximum symptom connected the United States.

"These items are cautiously designed to guarantee that they impact companies, producers, exporters successful areas wherever U.S. politicians whitethorn beryllium influenced by the effect," Herman told the Cost of Living.

"A institution successful 1 oregon different country that is affected by these Canadian tariffs would kick to its legislator oregon to its subordinate of Congress, asking for the tariffs connected Canada to beryllium removed. That's the full thought down these lists."

In the meantime, Herman says Canadian companies volition person to look to vessel to different markets, specified arsenic Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. 

LISTEN | Why bowling balls and toilet seats are connected Canada's database of counter-tariffs:

One of the solutions could beryllium to displacement manufacturing from China to the U.S. oregon Canada. But Galison of eeBoo says that isn't an casual pivot. She says it would take her institution decades to make its ain manufacturing successful the U.S. that would nutrient puzzles astatine the prime she's looking for. And she can't spend specified an endeavour.

For Galison, it's not conscionable a substance of a flimsy downturn successful profit. She worries her business, and galore others, mightiness not marque it to the extremity of the year.

"Empty shelves are benignant of an unpleasant representation erstwhile you deliberation of it," said Galison.

"But a 1000 times much unpleasant … is reasoning of the motortruck drivers and the dock workers and the income reps and the tiny businesses and the tiny concern owners having nary concern anymore."